Playing card mixing device



JuE 19, E932.

G. WENDORFF Filed Oct. 10, 1929 PLAYING CARD MIXING DEVICE 2Sheets-Sheet l Fig. 7

35 3e .44 A 45 a '33U 49 1; 33 68 iii; ii 15 47 6.3 @2 -v\\ o it "1 6 i9Q a 46 Q 9 v O 5 o 2 I fig. 2 55 Y Jnremor:

July 19, 1932- G. WENDORFF PLAYING CARD MIXING DEVICE Filed Oct. 10.1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 19, 11932 harem oFric GUSTAVWENDORFF, E STETTIN', GERMANY PLAYING- CARD MIXING DEVTCE Applicationfiled bomber-'10, 1929, Serial Il'o. 398,68 and in Germany December 13,1928.

This invention relates to a-playing card mixing machine a constructionalform thereof is illustrated diagrammatically and by way of example onthe accompanying draw- 53 ings in which Figure 1 is a side elevationview of two vertical walls arranged ina common plane, and of certainmechanisms carried by these walls; Figure 2 is also a side elevation oftwovertical walls arranged m in a common plane, and of certainmechanisms carried by these walls, these latter being located remotefrom the first-mentioned two walls and the mechanisms carried by the twowalls on the one side of the device and on the other side of the samebeing located counter to oneanother; Figure 3 is a plan of the device,or an upper view of the four walls and their mechanisms; Figure 4 is .avertical section through parts located between two oppositely arrangedwalls, that is to say, inside the device in the one half of the same,and Figure 5 shows a few details drawn to an enlarged scale.

The walls 38 and 39 are suspended from 25 upper arms 7 and 9 and fromlower arms 8 and 10. These arms are hinged to the walls 2 and 3, but thelower armsare designed as bell-crank levers. '5 denotes the pivots forthe upper arms and 6 the pivots for the lower arms, or bell-cranklevers. Each of these latter has a. shorter arm 14 and is subjected tothe pull of a helical spring 15, the strength of the two springs beingsuch that they can hold the walls 38 and 39 with their mechanisms inraised positiomas in Figs. 1 and 2. These walls with their mechanismsare reciprocated vertically when the device is in operation, that is tosay, when an electric circuit has been closed. Then an electric motor 1commences to run. This motor drives a worm 52 secured to the shaft 53 ofthe motor, and said worm meshes with a worm-wheel 22 that is secured toa shaft 21 and is designed as a crank-disk, inthat it is provided with acrank-pin 23 to which is plate 37 attached a rod connected at its otherend witha lever'18 by means of a pin 19. A pawl 17 is attached to thispin and engages a ratchet wheel 16 afiixed to a shaft 12. This shaft isrotated in a stepwise manner when m the motor is running, the motionbeing transmittedby the members 53, 52, 22, 23, 20, 17 and 16', asdescribed.

At the other end of the shaft 12, viz. outside the wall or plate 2 wherethere is the 55 bell-crank lever-10/14, a cam 11 (Fig. 2) is afi'ix'edto that shaft end and co-operates with a roll 13 attached to the end ofthe lever arm 14. It will be obvious that when the shaft 12 is'turned insteps, also the cam 11 so will be turned in this manner, and as the'shape of the cam is such that the bell-crank lever 10/14 is alternatelylifted and lowered,- also the other arms from which the walls or plates38 and 39 are-suspended will be lifted as and lowered in steps, as will,of course, also these plates and their mechanisms.

The bell-crank lever 10/14 is shown in Fig. 5 in three positions, butthere are, in fact, four, as will appear from what is dem scribed lateron.

34 (Fig. 4:) denote the playing cards; they are supported on a platewhich is inclined towards a plate 56 by which the cards are preventedform sliding down. At '7 the upper end of the plate 56 are locatedvrubber rollers and 36 which serve as conveying rollers for theindividual cards and are rotated by any suitable'means as long as thedevice is in operation. In front of these 82 rollers, that is to say,above the cards 34, are two suction heads 33 (Fig. 3), the purpose ofwhich is to take the cards singly from the pile or stack. The suctionheads are of a known construction and T abstain, therefore, 85 fromentering into details concerning them. They are attached to a transverse(Fig. '1) afii-xedat its ends to vertical members 58 (Figs. land 2), ofwhich the one is connected at its lower end with. a Y

the abutment plate 56.

lever and the other with a bell-crank lever 59, the other arm of whichis connected by a rod 61 with a crank 62 secured to the transverse shaft21 which is that to which also the worm wheel 22 is affixed. There isalso affixed to this shaft a bevel-wheel 63 meshing with anotherbevel-wheel 64. This wheel is affixed to a vertical shaft 65 providedwith a worm 66 meshing with a Worm-wheel 67 secured to a shaft 31 (Figs.2 and 4) provided between the plates 2 and 3 with a short arm 30co-operating with a double-armed lever 27 supported upon an axle 29.This lever is sub ected to the action of a helical spring 57 and thatarm which is counter to the arm 30 is connected by a rod 28 with theoblique plate 25 bearing the stack or pile of cards 34,

The mechanisms described up to this part of the specification servepartly for lifting and lowering in steps the plates 38 and 39 with theirmechanisms, as already described, and partly for moving the cards slowlyupwards, viz, in correspondence with their removal by the suction heads.These are moved downwardly and upwardly by the members 55, 59, 60, 58and 33, and in that measure in which the cards are singly removed andconveyed to the rollers 35 and 36, the pile is slowly lifted by themembers 57, 27- and 28. While this is being done the lever 27 is turnedfrom the position shown" in Fig. 4 in full lines into that shown indotted lines, but when the members 28 and l 25 are in their lowestposition, the'arm 30 of the shaft 31 is in such a position that it iswhen the plate 25 will be lifted so as to be ready for thereception ofanother pile of cards.

When mixing the cards of a complete pile of cards has been finished, theplate 25 is swung down into its lowermost position which is that obliqueposition shown in full lines in Fig. 4. When the plate has assumed thisposition, the motor is switched off, and a fresh pile of cards can nowbe inserted into the apparatus, i. e. shoved uponthe plate 25. Owing tothe intentional obliquity of this plate ini'ts position of rest, thepile of cards willsimply slide down along it until it is stopped by Whenthe motor is again switched on and all parts of the apparatus commenceanew to operate, the plate 25 with the cards thereon will be graduallylifted in correspondence with the removal of the individual cards by.means of the suction cups, the distance between the 11 most card andthe highest position of said cups remaining always the same. The cupsare continuously drawn downwards by the vertical members 58 and theother parts con nected with them and moving them. Each of the members 58is guided by a projection 68 against which it is drawn by a. helicalspring 3ust about to leave the arm 32 of the lever 27,

pper- 69, and when the cups with the one card they -hold have arrived inthe uppermost position in which the card is located just in front of therollers 35 and 36, they receive a movement in the direction to saidrollers, the extent of that movement being such that the front edge ofthe card is introduced between the-rollers which then seize the card andconvey it further in the direction to mixing plates 40 more fully dealtwith hereinafter.

Said forwardmovement of'the individual cards is effected by means of apawl-like member 70 (Fig. l) hinged to the wormwheel 22, and by a pin 71inserted into one of the arms 58 and being acted on by said. member 70.This member engages the pin 71 shortly before the completion of onerotation of the wheel 22 which is secured to the shaft 21, as hasalready been stated; and as also the crank 62 (Fig. 2) that effects thevertical movement of the arms 58, the plate 33, and the suction cups 33,is secured to that shaft, it will be clear that these members 58, 33 and33 will be moved not only vertically, but also horizontally, the twomovements being so timed that the horizontal movement followsimmediately upon the vertical one, that is to say, every lifted cardwill be moved towards the conveying rollers 35 and 36 until it isgrasped by the same and conveyed between the mixing plates.

Concerning now the plates 38 and 39with their mechanisms the chiefobject of these latter is to form a plurality of superposed compartmentsthat are to receive the individual cards which are conveyed successively\1n the said compartments, always one card with one another at theirupper ends by a helical spring 42 tending to draw the platesinto thespace between the plates 38 and 39. The plates may be regarded asuncomplete bottoms, or bottom parts {they subdivide the space betweensaid plates-into compartments which are those that are to receive thecards, as already mentioned.

While the cards are conveyed forwardly, out of the space between theplates 2 and 3, the compartments are moved upwardly and downwardly bythe means already described,

the movements being so timed that the first card is conveyed into thefirst compartment,

the secondinto the second compartment, the

third into the third compartment, the fourth into the fourthcompartment, the fifth again into the third compartment, the sixth againinto the second compartment, the seventh again into the firstcompartment, the eighth again into the second compartment, and so on,until all cards have been distributed in this way.

Instead of making all plates 41 doublearmed levers, such as 41/49, it issuflicient to provide the axles to which the plates 41 are afiixed witharms or lugs 49 (Figs. 1 and 3) and to connect the arms of the one sideand those of the other side with one another by short vertical rods 50which can be moved horizontally by means ofa transverse pin 51 extendingthrough one arm of a bell-crank lever 47 provided with a finger piece 48at its free end. When this piece isdepressed, the

card-'supporting'plates 41 are turned outwardly into the position shownin dotted lines in Fig. 3, in consequence whereof all cards'will falldown into a box or the like (not shown) they are now thoroughly mixedand ready for the next play. When the finger piece 48 is released, thespring 42 draws the plates 41 back into their normal position, and nowanother pack of cards may be introduced into the device.

I claim:

1. A playing card mixing machine, comprising, in combination, membersarranged to form superposed compartments, ,means adapted to introducethe cards singly and successively into said compartments, and means forwithdrawing the first-mentioned members from card supporting position soas to cause the cards to drop and form a pile of thoroughly mixed cards.

2. A card mixing machine, comprising, in

-combination, vertical parallel plates having each a set of horizontalsuperposed slots; plates adapted to be moved through said slots into thespace between said vertical plates, and reversely; means for thus movingsaid plates; means by which the first-mentioned plates and the secondmentioned plates can be moved vertically in steps in timed inter-' vals;a card distributing device comprising a card support and means forwithdrawing the cards singly from the support and delivering them singlybetween the second mentioned plates, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GUSTAV WENDORFF.

3. A playing card mixing machine, comprising, in combination, cal spacedplates having each a plurality of superposed horizontalslots in it;horizontal plates attached to said vertical plates*in such a manner thatthey can be inserted through said slots into the space between thevertical plates and form compartments; means tending to keep thehorizontal plates in said space; the said space; a vertically movableplate adapted to receive a pack of the cards; means two parallel verti-.

means for withdrawing them from

